Picking my summer red wine

It was raining in the Berkshires today so I asked my friend Tom Parker to help me sample 3 Bordeaux red wines. All were 2009, one of the best vintages in decades, and all were reasonably priced for every day drinking at about $15/bottle. To whet our appetites I prepared some smoked salmon canapes with minced red onion, capers and dill from the garden. Tom brought a jar of homemade pickles laced with a garlicky brine to see how the reds would stand up. We sampled and compared notes. The winner was the 2009 Chateau Peynaud and I'll be buying two cases at Nejames to pair with grilled foods all summer long.